


The Firewatcher's Daughter

by lmharmon



Series: I Design Disasters [3]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Autistic Character, Disabled Character, F/F, Gen, Geographical Inaccuracies, Historical Inaccuracy, M/M, Post-Canon, Queer Themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-11-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 17:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25020268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lmharmon/pseuds/lmharmon
Summary: After the treaty with the English is ratified, Madi is unsure where to go from there. She is quickly offered an opportunity - for herself and her fellow maroons - that she can't turn down. But it comes at a cost.Meanwhile, in Savannah, James and Thomas turn the Oglethorpe plantation into something new.
Relationships: Anne Bonny/Madi, Captain Flint | James McGraw/Thomas Hamilton
Series: I Design Disasters [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1956781
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	1. King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the treaty with the English is ratified, Madi is unsure where to go from there. She is quickly offered an opportunity - for herself and her fellow maroons - that she can't turn down. But it comes at a cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Full disclosure - this fic isn't properly finished. It does have an ending, of a sort, but it doesn't go as far as I initially intended it to. 
> 
> I may come back to it at some point, but I'm not sure.

**1716**

**Maroon Island**

The morning after the treaty with the English was ratified, Madi realized she was pregnant.

A part of her wanted to run and tell John immediately. But another part, the larger part, stopped her. The treaty he had gotten her people to sign had decreed that existing maroon communities could remain without interference from the English, but they could no longer help those escaping from slavery, or anyone else on the run from the law, namely pirates. 

She felt hopeless, and she was already tired of everyone around her, including her mother, telling her that maybe it was for the best. She didn’t understand why no one could see that that wasn’t true.

Flint would understand, Madi thought. The war had been as much his as it had been hers. Though a white Englishman himself, he had experienced his own injustice at their hands, and as a result, had clearly been able to see their corruption and cruelty and had desperately wanted to stop it. She had grown to respect him for that.

She wondered whether the story John had told her was true - that Flint was in a prison in Savannah with Thomas Hamilton, his lover who he’d believed dead. Or was it Flint who was dead? John had lied to her once, and she had no doubt he would do it again if he thought it would get him what he wanted.

This was partly where her mind was at while she spent several hours with her mother and the other maroon leaders discussing what the next steps for the maroons would be. Without her father to provide supplies from Nassau, they would need to find another way to acquire items they couldn't produce themselves. There were no good answers.

Now, she sat in the meeting hall alone, everyone else having left to go about their other duties in the camp. Madi found she was unable to do the same. 

Lost in thought, she was startled when someone nearby cleared their throat. She quickly regained her composure and looked up to see Akwasi, a fellow maroon, standing before her looking somewhat nervous. Behind him stood Theo, a pirate from Flint’s crew who had survived the sinking of the Walrus at Skeleton Island.

“Yes?” Madi asked, impatient. She was not in the mood to speak with anyone. 

Akwasi picked up on this and shifted uncomfortably on his feet. “We have something we would like to discuss with you, if it’s alright,” he said. He glanced over his shoulder at Theo.

Madi sighed. “If you must.”

Akwasi and Theo took seats across from her.

“There are a number of maroons and pirates alike that are unhappy with the signing of the treaty and do not wish to see the alliance between us fade away. There are certainly not enough to continue the war, but... perhaps we could create an alliance of a different nature,” Akwasi said.

“As you are aware of the treaty... you will know that there can no longer be an alliance between maroons and pirates," Madi said. Why were they wasting her time with this?

“Not on paper, no," Theo said. "But... on the way back from Skeleton Island, I had a chance to speak with Jack Rackham. He led me to believe that Marion Guthrie, Eleanor Guthrie’s grandmother in Philadelphia, is going to help him install a governor in Nassau that will allow piracy to continue secretly in Nassau. Only a few crews will be allowed, but Rackham says he will ensure we are on that list, if we wish it. Even with the treaty.”

Madi raised her eyebrows. “Even if we wished it, we have no crew to add to that list.”

Akwasi and Theo exchanged glances.

“Actually... we have three,” Akwasi said. “I spoke with several pirate captains and three have agreed to give us one of their ships in exchange for a small cut of our profits. There are enough maroons and pirates to manage each. We could use our share to provide supplies to the island.”

Despite herself, Madi felt a spark start to ignite inside her. This was not the war she wanted, but it was something. A way to fight back against the English, albeit a sanctioned one. Perhaps, with time, they could find another source of income. And time was what they needed.

“And... you have been able to determine all of this since yesterday?” Madi asked, not wanting to let her guard down just yet.

“There is more displeasure with the treaty than you might think,” Theo explained.

“Most were afraid to show it in the meeting yesterday,” Akwasi continued. “They don’t know what Long John Silver might do to them.” He said the name with distaste.

Madi suspected as much. Though John had believed that telling everyone that Flint had retired was better than saying he was dead and making him a martyr, that notion hinged on no one asking too many questions, even if only to themselves.

“Speaking of which...” Theo started. Akwasi shot him a warning glance. “We have to tell her,” Theo muttered.

“Tell me what?” Madi asked. She felt the spark start to fade.

Akwasi chewed his lip. He seemed to choose his words carefully before he spoke. “Rackham intends to lock Silver and his men out of trade at Nassau. He doesn’t want them to have any involvement in it, nor does he want them to have any awareness of any future plans we may make.”

Madi was both surprised and not. It was an agreement between John and Rackham at Skeleton Island that led to where they were now, so it was somewhat strange that Rackham would suddenly do an about face. But perhaps he was wary of continuing to work with someone who would betray a close friend.

Akwasi continued, “We know that the pirates not involved in our venture will be leaving the island over the next few days, but it’s our understanding that Silver means to stay. He will need to leave. Both for Rackham... and the rest of us.”

“We don’t trust him,” Theo said.

Madi expected the spark within her to fade completely, but it did not. John was the father of the child that was growing inside of her... but he was also a lot more than that. He was the man who had taken the war from her - the war that would have freed her people. Though she did hope her anger with him would one day dim and allow her to understand the choices he made, she didn’t believe she, like the others, would ever be able to truly trust him again, to call him a true partner. She did not want him to wait for her, and she did not want him involved in their child's life. Perhaps Akwasi and Theo had just made an impossible choice for her.

Madi nodded. “Alright.”

Akwasi and Theo looked surprised by her quick agreement.

“Will you be able to get your mother and the other leaders to agree to this?” Theo asked.

Madi nodded again. She was sure that she could. They may not all be happy to continue to work with the pirates, but she would convince them this was the best available option.

“And... you will talk to Silver?” Akwasi asked quietly.

She would.

\---

Madi found John on the cliff where he had trained with Flint only months ago. Somehow, it seemed like a lifetime had passed since then.

When John saw her, he walked towards her, hope in his eyes. She knew what he wanted to hear. She could not give it to him. While there was a part of her that wanted to tell him that she was pregnant, to tell him that they were going to have a child, that they could put the past behind them and start anew, she managed to keep her resolve and do as she had promised.   
  
“I need you to know that I love you," she said, her voice cracking. "With all my heart. I don’t think that will ever change. But... I am so angry with you. I am enraged. What you have done to both me and my people and to Flint is horrible. You made a choice for us that you had no right to make. You took our chance for freedom. I know that you did not choose to insert yourself into this war, to become Long John Silver, the Pirate King. Perhaps Flint and I shouldn’t have leaned on that so much. But that doesn’t mean you got to decide when the price of the war got too high.”  
  
She took a deep breath before continuing. “I am banishing you from this island. You will leave with the rest of your men. You will not return.”

Madi saw the hope in John's eyes disappear. The muscles in his face tensed, as if he was trying to stop himself from crying. He nodded.

“Tom Morgan’s ship is leaving in the morning,” John said. “I’ll go with them.”

“Very well,” Madi said.

With that, John turned and made his slow way back to the maroon camp. Madi waited until he was out of sight before following.

Madi did not see him for the rest of the day. The next morning, when she asked for his whereabouts, she was told he’d already left for the ship.

Madi felt her heart break.

But she had work to do.


	2. Common

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the deaths of Jack Rackham and Mary Read, Anne Bonny is rescued from prison and given sanctuary on the Maroon Island, where she bonds with Madi. Madi, believing she can trust Anne, asks a favor of her.

**1718**

**Maroon Island**

Within a year into the agreement with Max in Nassau, the maroons had started to turn a profit. They used the funds to ensure they had everything they needed, and more. For the first time, they had really started to flourish.

Now, two years in, it all stood the chance of coming to an end. The news of Rackham’s capture and execution for high seas piracy at Port Royal, as well as the soon-to-be executions of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, stayed due to their pregnancies at the time of capture, had only recently reached the maroons, who were understandably nervous. It had been Rackham who had brought the agreement to them. They were unsure how long it would continue now that he was dead.

Madi stood on the beach, watching as the longboats from the Manatee, one of the maroon ships, neared the shore. When Akwasi, now the leader of the maroon pirates, finally stepped onto the beach, Madi barely gave him a moment to orient himself. “Well?” she asked.

“Everything is fine. There will be no changes to our agreement,” Akwasi said, attempting to mimic Max’s accent.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Good,” Madi said. She breathed a sigh of relief.

“Except...”

Oh no.

“What?”

Akwasi sighed. He turned and pointed toward a longboat that was just being pulled ashore. Madi followed his finger and her gaze landed on a red-haired woman holding what appeared to be an infant.

“Is that...?”

“Anne Bonny,” Akwasi confirmed. “Not sure how, but Max got her out of prison. They were getting ready to set her execution date, since she’d had the baby. The other woman, Mary Read... she and the baby died during the birth.” Akwasi chewed his lip. “Anyway, Max said she’s supposed to stay here.”

Madi raised her eyebrows. “Supposed to? Did she ask, or was it an order?”

Akwasi hesitated. “Somewhere in between.”

Madi pursed her lips. While she saw no issue with giving sanctuary to Anne and her child, she didn’t particularly like being ordered around by Max. They were supposed to be equal partners, not captain and crew.

“Very well,” Madi said.

\---

The next day, the wailing could be heard from just about anywhere in the camp. No one was quite sure what to do. During the regular morning meeting with her mother and the other maroon leaders, Madi had had enough. She abruptly got up and made her way to the hut that had been provided to Anne and her child. She burst through the entrance without announcing herself, startling Anne.

Without a word, Madi gingerly plucked the child from Anne’s arms and brought them to her own chest. She began bouncing lightly up and down and making a shushing sound. Almost immediately the child stopped crying.

Anne stared at her in stunned disbelief. “How did you do that?”

"I have a child of my own," Madi said. Before the statement could be questioned, she asked, “When was the last time you slept?” Anne had deep, dark circles under her eyes, which she seemed to be fighting to keep open. Nothing else about her looked much better. Her grief over the deaths of two people close to her, one of whom being the father of her child, had clearly taken a toll on her. And that didn’t even begin to cover what being in prison did to a person.

“I have to take care of her,” Anne said weakly.

“You can’t take care of her if you don’t take care of yourself,” Madi said. She paused. “What if I took her for a bit? While you got some sleep. Would that be alright?”

“She needs to eat,” Anne said.

“We have a wet nurse,” Madi said.

Anne still looked uncertain, but she nodded.

Madi smiled. “Good,” she said. She looked down at the child in her arms. She did not have her mother’s red hair and blue eyes, but instead had the brown hairs and brown eyes of her father. Her other features belonged to Anne, though.

“What’s her name?” Madi asked. “So I know what to call her.”

“Mary,” Anne said. Madi looked up. “It weren’t just... her name,” Anne continued, seemingly referring to Mary Read. “It was my mother’s name, too. She died when I was young.” Anne’s face contorted, as if she was trying to hold off tears.

Madi hugged Mary tighter to her chest. “I’ll take good care of her. You get some rest.”

\---

That evening after supper, Madi returned a sleeping and well-fed Mary to Anne’s hut. She gently placed her in the crib at the foot of the bed, trying not to wake Anne, who was also still asleep.

She failed. Anne stirred and looked up at Madi, then at her sleeping child. Madi studied her. Anne looked somewhat better now that she’d gotten some sleep, but it would probably take some time before she became herself again, if she ever did.

Anne looked back at Madi. She looked like she wanted to say something, so Madi motioned for them to go outside.

They sat down on a bench outside the hut, speaking softly.

“Thank you,” Anne said, “for looking after her. I’m not... very good at this whole motherin’ thing.”

“I know that in your culture, it is expected that individual parents raise their children, meaning usually the mother,” Madi said carefully. "But here, child rearing is more communal. You don’t have to do this alone.”

Anne looked surprised. “Are you... offerin’ to let me stay here... permanently?”

“If you’d like,” Madi said. She could only assume that regardless of what kind of strings Max had pulled, Anne wouldn’t be welcome or safe in most places, at least in the West Indies. She could hardly ask her to leave.

“I weren’t expecting that,” Anne said. She blushed, embarrassed.

They sat in awkward silence for some time before Anne tentatively asked, "You said you had a child, too?"

Madi nodded. "I do."

"How old are they?" Anne asked. 

"Nkiru, my daughter, is a little over a year old," Madi said. In her culture, it was customary for children to be named based on the circumstances or motivations surrounding the birth of the child. Nkiru meant ‘greater things are ahead’. Madi hoped it proved to be true. 

Madi glanced over at Anne and saw her doing the math in her head. "Is she... Silver's?"

Madi nodded again. "Yes."

“Does he know?”

“No,” Madi said quietly. "And I would like to keep it that way."

“He betrayed you,” Anne agreed. 

Yes, Madi thought, but that was only part of it. In the time since John had left the island, he had come to captain a pirate ship of his own. The stories that made it back to Madi were often violent ones. He and his men had made a habit of slaughtering even crews that had raised the white flag in surrender to the point where even small, outnumbered crews knew better than to try, instead simply preparing to fight when they saw his flag. Each passing tale furthered her belief that she was making the right decision.

Not able to read Madi's thoughts, Anne continued, “I know what that’s like. In part, anyway.”

Madi looked at the other woman curiously. Who had betrayed her? Jack? Mary? Someone else? 

Anne was quiet for long enough that Madi thought she wasn’t going to get an explanation. Finally, she spoke, “Max and I... way back before everythin’... we use to be lovers.”

This surprised Madi a bit, though she let Anne continue without interrupting. 

“When... Jack was captured by Woodes Rogers over the Urca gold, Max lied to me and said that he was bein’ tortured so that I’d give up our share. She was goin’ to let him be turned over to the Spanish, who would’ve killed him.”

“You still love her, though,” Madi said. And Max clearly still loved Anne. Why else go to the trouble of rescuing her?

“Yeah,” Anne said. “And I’ve forgiven her, but...”

“You don’t trust her,” Madi finished.

“Not completely, anyway,” Anne said. “Not like I use to.”

Madi and Anne shared a look of understanding, though Madi suspected a reconciliation between Anne and Max was much more likely than one between her and John. 

Still, their silence was more comfortable now. It was a while before Madi finally stood up. " _You_ may be well-rested, but I need to get some sleep. And I have my own child to tend to.”

Anne looked almost disappointed as she bid Madi goodnight.

\---

Madi had an idea.

A few weeks had passed since that night outside of Anne’s hut, and Anne had started to integrate into the maroon community, and to very slowly heal from all that had happened to her. She was starting to look more like herself, or, what Madi suspected was Anne looking more like herself, anyway.

Anne got along with the other women and men responsible for childcare, but Madi could tell she didn’t really enjoy it. This was not to say that Anne didn’t love her daughter - she very clearly did. But Anne had been a pirate for most of her life. She wasn’t used to sitting still for so long.

So, Madi invited her into her hut one evening. 

“I’d like to ask you to do something for me,” Madi started. She sat at her desk, bouncing Nkiru in her lap. “And I’d like to make it clear that this is an ask, not an order. You can say no.” 

Anne tilted her head. “Okay...”

“You are aware of the plantation in Savannah, where the English send... troublesome family members,” Madi said. “Where John sent Flint.”

Anne’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, I was the one who first told Max about it.”

“If I give you a small ship and crew, would you be willing to go and retrieve Flint from there? He and Thomas Hamilton? There shouldn’t be anyone looking for you there.”

“Who’s Thomas Hamilton?”

“Flint’s lover.”

Anne blinked. “Oh,” she said. Then, “Is that why you’re sending me? Because of what I told you? You think we have something in common?”

“I’m sending you because you’re white,” Madi said. This was mostly true. Though slavery was currently outlawed in Georgia, Savannah was not far from the Carolina border, where slavery did very much exist.

“You have white members of your crew,” Anne countered, referencing the pirates who had chosen to stay behind after the signing of the treaty. This was also true, though the only one Madi really trusted was Theo, Akwasi’s quartermaster. She didn’t think she could spare him for this.

“I thought you could use something to do,” Madi said. This was the truth, though a convenient one. She had wanted to rescue Flint and Thomas for some time.

Anne’s expression softened a bit at this, though she still looked wary. “You want him to tell you where the cache is.”

“I want to get him out of prison,” Madi corrected.

“But you wouldn’t mind if he told you where the cache was.”

Madi didn’t respond. Of course she wanted to know where the cache was. She’d be able to use it to help her people. But she also cared about Flint, and wanted to make up for the wrongs done to him by John.

Anne chuckled. “Alright, I’ll do it. You’ll take care of Mary while I’m gone?”

“Of course,” Madi said. She picked up a sizable sack of coin off the desk and handed it to Anne. “You’ll likely need to provide some sort of payment. This should be enough.”

Anne took the sack, weighed it in her hand. “What if they still say no?”

Madi shrugged. “I’ll leave that up to you to decide.”

Anne looked amused. “And how do you know I won’t just take your money and run?”

“I believe I can trust you,” Madi said. Truth.

Anne raised an eyebrow at that. “When do you want me to leave?”

“As soon as you feel comfortable.”

Anne left within the week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know Jack Rackham and Mary Read don't die IRL until 1720-21 (and Anne doesn't have a baby and disappear until 1721). Sorry!


	3. Crowded Table

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> At the request of Madi, Anne Bonny goes to Savannah to rescue James Flint and Thomas Hamilton from prison, only to discover that she doesn't actually need to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A have an independent version of this chapter in my Works. I wrote it for the original version of this series (which I'm rewriting, obviously). It's my most popular fic, so I didn't want to delete it. XD

**1718**

**Savannah, Province of Georgia**

Anne was surprised by how small Savannah was, barely worthy of being called a town. Though it was clearly being used by wealthy plantation owners and merchants to exchange goods, based on the dress and speech of the other travelers she encountered in the port. Anne, in her pirate garb, received a few strange looks, but no one said anything.

Anne asked a passing sailor where she could find the stables, and he directed her on a short walk from the port.

“Can I help you?” a gruff, older man asked almost as soon as she stepped inside.

“How much to rent a horse?” Anne asked.

“No renting, only buying,” the man said.

“Okay, how much to do that?”

“£5 for the cheapest one.”

Anne opened a sack of coin and pulled out the amount. She handed it to the man.

The man eyed the sack for a few moments, then at the cutlass attached to Anne’s belt. He seemed to decide against doing anything stupid. Instead, he went to a stall at the far end of the stable and guided out an older, bay-colored horse with streaks of grey and white on her face and lower legs. He brought the horse to Anne.

“As long as you’re not planning on riding all the way to Charles Town, she should do you well enough,” the man said.

“Can I get a saddle?” Anne asked.

The man gave her a greasy smile. “That’ll be another pound.”

Anne sighed and tossed it at him.

Once she’d saddled up, she asked, “Oglethorpe’s is just south of here, right?”

The man hesitated, furrowed his brow, “What would you want to go there for?”

“Is it or ain't it?” Anne pressed.

“It is,” the man said slowly.

“Thanks,” Anne said. With that, she rode out of the stable and headed toward her destination.

\---

Some time later, as Anne approached the gate to Oglethorpe’s, two guards in plain clothes with muskets walked up to meet her.

“I’m here to see Oglethorpe,” Anne said.

The men smiled politely up at her. “Oglethorpe doesn’t run this place anymore,” one of them said.

“Then can I speak with whoever does?” Anne asked.

The two men exchanged glances and seemed to communicate something silently to each other. They both nodded.

The men opened the gate for Anne and closed it behind her. One of the men, the one who had spoken, followed her through and led her and her horse up toward the plantation house.

Anne looked around her and frowned. Though she had not been on a plantation since she was a child, this place didn’t look like what she remembered. There were sprawling fields on either side of the entrance, to be sure, but farther back, beyond the plantation house, there seemed to be a lot of construction going on. Too many buildings for a plantation. It seemed almost like they were constructing... a town? And one larger than what Anne had seen at the port.

Once they reached the house, Anne dismounted and followed the guard inside. He led her into an office where a blond-haired man was sitting behind a desk, writing. He looked up when Anne and the guard entered. He looked at Anne curiously.

“She says she’s here to see Oglethorpe,” the guard said.

The man behind the desk nodded at him. “Thank you, Charles.”

Charles nodded back and left.

The blond man set down his quill and stood up. He extended his hand toward Anne and smiled at her. “I’m sure Charles has already told you, but James Oglethorpe is no longer responsible for this estate. But perhaps I can help you.”

Anne shook the man’s hand. “And who are you?”

“My name is Thomas Hamilton-”

“You’re Thomas Hamilton?” Anne asked. That was the name Madi had given her, of Flint’s lover. The other man she’d come here to rescue.

Thomas’ smile faltered slightly. “Yes.”

A few things clicked in Anne’s head. The unusual look the man at the stables had given her when she’d said where she was headed, the plain-clothed guards, the construction. Despite herself, Anne doubled over laughing.

When she was done, she took a seat in one of the chairs opposite Thomas. “You two took over this place, huh? How long did that take?”

Thomas sat back down and, clearly uncertain of what was going on, responded cautiously, “Mr. Oglethorpe bequeathed this place to me about two years ago.”

Anne snorted. “So right after he got here?”

“Uh-”

“What did you do with Oglethorpe? Is he buried out back somewhere?”

“No,” Thomas said firmly. “He is back in London. He has a lofty position within the British Army.”

“Uh-huh,” Anne said. “Well, Madi sent me here to rescue you and Flint. Looks like that was pointless.”

Immediately after Anne said Madi’s name, Thomas started to relax, accepting that this wasn’t some sort of strange deception. “And who might you be?” Thomas asked.

“Anne Bonny.”

Anne saw recognition in Thomas’ eyes. Either Flint had mentioned her at some point, or he’d heard other stories. He started to say something, but was interrupted by a young woman entering the room.

Sifting through a stack of papers, the woman did not immediately look up, “Thomas, I-” then she saw Anne. “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s alright, Abigail,” Thomas said. “Do you happen to know where James is?”

Abigail looked between Thomas and Anne, sensing that something was off. “Um, I think he’s in the meetinghouse.”

“Would you mind going and fetching him?” Thomas asked.

“Sure,” Abigail said, glancing once more between them before hurrying out.

“If you had needed to rescue James and I, you would’ve needed to get Miss Ashe, as well,” Thomas said, indicating the woman who had just left. “She’s a close friend.”

Abigail Ashe. Anne had heard that name before. She had been the “cargo” Vane had taken from Ned Low, the daughter of the former Governor of Carolina, who Vane had planned to ransom. But she had ended up on Flint’s ship...

Anne threw her head back and laughed again. “Wow, you really are one big happy family here, aren’t you?”

“We do have a bit of a crowded table, yes,” Thomas said, seeming pleased.

“Well, of all the people I thought might come here looking for me, I didn’t think it’d be you,” a familiar voice said behind Anne. She turned.

Flint stood just inside the door to the office, Abigail beside him. His head was no longer shaved. He’d let his hair grow back out and tied it back like he used to when Anne had first met him.

“Madi sent her here to rescue us,” Thomas explained.

Flint’s expression softened at that. “Madi.” He said the name with great affection.

A silence fell between the four of them, all of them uncertain with how to navigate this strange situation they’d found themselves in. 

Anne decided to interrupt it. “So, what is this place now, exactly? It’s not a prison.”

Thomas looked to Flint, as if asking permission to respond. Flint just shrugged. “No, it’s not a prison,” Thomas said. “It’s a town, of sorts. For those who are not necessarily welcomed or treated well by English rule. Criminals, escaped slaves...”

“You and Flint,” Anne finished.

Thomas glanced at Flint again. “Yes.”

Anne raised an eyebrow. “And no one’s stoppin’ you?”

It was Flint who answered this time. “Georgia isn’t a proper English colony, at least not yet. For now, it serves as a buffer between hostile Spanish colonies and Charles Town. As long as we aren’t openly antagonistic toward anyone, no one really cares what we’re doing, since we’re still technically acting as a buffer.”

Leave it to Flint to wind up in prison and somehow still come out the victor.

Anne stood up. “Right. I’ll leave you to it, then.” She made to leave.

“Wait,” Thomas said. Anne turned back.

“Would we still be able to go with you? Just to visit?” Thomas asked. “I would very much like to meet Madi.”

“I don’t think that’s-” Flint started.

“You should go,” Abigail interrupted. “I can take care of things here.”

Thomas gave Flint a close-lipped smile, as if he thought he had won something. Flint rolled his eyes, though he was smiling, too. “Alright,” he said.

All three of them looked at Anne.

Anne sighed. “Meet me at the port in the mornin’. Don’t be late.”


	4. The Joke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James returns to Maroon Island two years after everything, bringing Thomas Hamilton with him. They strike a deal with Madi that will benefit them all.

**1718**

**Maroon Island**

Just after sunrise, the watchers in the lookout tower announced that Anne’s ship had returned and anchored off the coast. Madi, with Anne’s daughter Mary in her arms, walked down to the beach to meet the returning crew.

Anne, the first out of the longboat, hurried up to Madi and took Mary from her. She littered kisses over the infant’s face, eliciting a burst of giggles. “How have you been?” Anne affectionately asked her child.

“Good, but fussy. I haven’t gotten any sleep,” Madi joked.

Anne smiled at her. It was the best smile Madi had seen in days.

“Well, you’ll be pleased to know I didn’t need this,” Anne said, handing Madi back the sack of coin she'd given Anne. “They’d already rescued themselves.”

Madi frowned. She looked past Anne to a second longboat just being pulled onto the beach. Off of it came Flint and a blond-haired man she assumed was Thomas Hamilton. 

“Don’t look so surprised,” Anne said. “You know Flint better than I do.”

Anne, with her daughter, headed up the beach toward the camp while Madi headed toward Flint. He was talking to one of the crew members and did not immediately see her. Madi took the opportunity to study him. He had not aged much in the last two years since she’d last seen him. In some ways, he actually looked younger. His posture was more relaxed, and his mouth turned upward in an easy smile. Most notably, his head was no longer shaved. He’d grown his hair out some and tied part of it back to keep it out of his face. Madi thought the look suited him much better.

When Flint did see Madi, his smile turned into a grin. “Madi,” he said. Before he could say anything else, Madi pulled him into a long, tight hug.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” Madi said once she’d finally let go.

“You too,” Flint said. He looked to his left, where Thomas stood watching the two of them. “Uh, this is-”

“Thomas. I know,” Madi said. Thomas extended a hand to her, but Madi swatted it away and hugged him, too.

With greetings out of the way, Madi looked between the two men curiously. “I hear you two didn’t actually need my assistance getting out of that place. I’m sure that must be an interesting story.”

The two men exchanged glances. “Perhaps,” Thomas said. “But could we discuss it over breakfast? I’m starving.”

\---

Flint and Thomas joined Madi in her hut for a meal of beans, fried plantains, and rice while they told her about how they’d taken over the Oglethorpe plantation and turned in into their home. It was an interesting, though unsurprising, story. Of course Flint had not stayed a prisoner for very long. 

While they ate and talked, Madi watched the two of them. They both seemed genuinely happy despite all of the horrors they'd been through. Madi was particularly fascinated by the affection Flint showed Nkiru, who he held in his lap. She had not expected him to be good with children. 

Eventually, they turned the questions around on her and wanted to know how she and the rest of the maroons were doing.

“Anne only told us bits and pieces on the way here,” Flint explained. “She said that Featherstone isn’t the true power in Nassau, that Max is, which doesn’t surprise me at all. She also said that she and Jack had been allowed to secretly continue sailing under the black out of the port until his death, and that you and your people were still operating under a similar agreement.”

Madi gave Flint a half-smile. “That’s all true.”

“How is that going?” Flint asked.

Madi shook her head. “She hasn't done us any harm, but... I don’t trust Max,” she said. “I didn’t trust Rackham either, but I think he felt guilty about the part he played in... John’s betrayal. I believed that would keep him from acting against us in any way. But Max... she genuinely seems to believe that she’s going to change the system from the inside. If she ever starts to believe we are too far outside that system, that we will keep her from accomplishing whatever her ultimate goal is, I don’t think she’d hesitate to double-cross us.”

Flint nodded, seeming unsure what to say to that. 

Thomas, however, looked thoughtful. “If you’re looking for a new fence, maybe we could help with that.”

Both Madi and Flint turned to look at him.

“Oglethorpe was already selling items made by his laborers to wealthy merchants in the colonies. Not just crops, but shoes, tools, candles. With the help of our comrades, I’ve been able to keep that business going. What if we simply added whatever you bring us to that?”

Madi looked to Flint to see his reaction to this. Probably trying to work out the logistics in his head, his brow was furrowed in thought and he did not notice Madi’s questioning stare.

“I know that Savannah is quite a bit farther away than Nassau, but I assume you can believe you’d never have to question our loyalty. Or, James’, anyway. I know you don’t know me yet,” Thomas said somewhat shyly.

He continued, “The plantation backs up to the Skidaway River. It can be reached by sailing down the Little Ogeechee River, which opens up to the ocean. If you’re worried about anyone questioning your presence at the port farther north, you could avoid it altogether by anchoring your ship near the mouth of the river and sailing longboats down it to meet us directly.”

Flint’s eyes were fixed at a point on the wall above their heads, still calculating. “That might work.”

Madi raised her eyebrows. “I’m not doing anything with ‘might’.”

Flint was silent for a few moments before he dropped his gaze, first to Thomas, then to Madi. “It would work.”

Madi steepled her fingers, resting her chin on top of them. “I would need to discuss this with my mother and the other leaders. They will likely have questions for you.”

The three of them agreed to meet with the leaders later that day.

“They think we are weak,” Madi said as Flint and Thomas got up to leave. “These people who keep trying to get rid of us, or break us, again, and again, and again. But the joke’s on them, isn’t it?”

\---

That evening, after an eventful day, Madi wandered over to Anne’s hut to see how she and Mary were doing. Madi found Anne sitting alone outside.

“Is Mary asleep?” Madi asked her quietly.

"Mmm. Is Nkiru?"

Madi shook her head. "Flint is watching her." At Anne's surprised look, Madi shrugged and said, "She seems to like him." _And he seems to like her._

Anne nodded, though she still seemed incredulous. “How did your meetin’ go?” 

Madi sat down beside Anne and rubbed her eyes. “Exhausting. But they said yes.”

“You think you can trust Flint?” Anne asked.

“I think Flint and I look out at the world and see things the same way, more or less,” Madi said. “I know what to expect from him. Max... I do not.”

“That makes sense,” Anne said. “When do you want me to take them back?”

“They said they want to stay for a bit,” Madi said. “So perhaps in a week or so.” Then, after a pause, Madi asked, “Are you thinking about staying with them? In Savannah?”

Anne wrinkled her nose. “Why would I do that? I don’t even like Flint.”

Madi laughed. “I know. But... you and Mary have more in common with them than you do us. I thought you might prefer that.”

Anne looked hurt. “Do you want me to leave?”

“No,” Madi said quickly.

When Anne didn’t say anything, Madi turned to look at her. Anne had leaned her head slightly toward her, and there was a sparkle in her eyes Madi didn’t recognize. The look made her suddenly become conscious of their shoulders and thighs resting against each other, their shared warmth in the already balmy air. Madi’s heart felt like it skipped a beat. Anne leaned in closer. Madi leaned in too, and then they were kissing. Anne’s lips were soft and tasted like cinnamon. When they pulled apart, the two women smiled at each other, a quiet acceptance.

\---

A week later, Madi walked with Anne, her crew, Flint, and Thomas down to the beach. As they neared the longboats, Flint lightly touched Madi’s arm and asked her to hang back for a moment.

“I want to give you this,” Flint said. He handed her a piece of paper. Madi looked at it. On one side, Flint had written directions to Skeleton Island. On the other he’d drawn a map of the island itself, with an ‘X’ marking the spot where the cache was buried.

“This was not what I brought you here for,” Madi said, though she was also relieved. She knew what she was going to task Anne with once she’d returned from Savannah.

“Maybe not,” Flint said. “But if there ever comes a time when your people need it... I’d feel better knowing it was at your disposal.”

Madi nodded. “Thank you.”

The pair continued on down the beach. Before Flint stepped into the longboat, Madi hugged him and said, “You take care of yourself, Flint.”

“I’ll do that. You and Nkiru do the same,” Flint said. “And Madi?”

“Hmm?”

“Call me James.”


	5. Wherever Is Your Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Madi decides to send Nkiru to Savannah.

**1726**

**Maroon Island**

Madi laid in bed staring up at the ceiling, thinking. It was too early to get up and too late to go back to sleep. She wasn’t sure which was worse.

“What are you thinkin’ about?”

Madi shifted her gaze and looked over at Anne. She had rolled onto her side facing Madi, still rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

“I think we should send Nkiru to Savannah,” Madi said.

Anne froze for a moment, then her hands fell from her eyes and she propped herself up on an elbow so that she could get a better look at Madi. “What do you mean?”

“I think we should send her to live with James and Thomas,” Madi clarified. “Just for a bit. They’ve visited here enough times that she should feel comfortable with them.”

Anne frowned. “But... why?”

Madi sat up and Anne followed her. The two sat side-by-side, Madi looking straight ahead, trying to find the right words, while Anne waited patiently. Eventually, Madi said, “I came to this island when I was very young. I did not leave again until my mother made the alliance with James and his men for the war. Since then... my responsibilities here have grown. As you know, I have not left for some time.”

As the years had passed, her mother had placed more and more on her shoulders. These days, Madi scarcely had time for herself. She did not mind, exactly - it was what she had been raised for and long ago accepted - but she also longed for more. She wanted back the hope that the war had given her. She knew she would not get it. But Nkiru…

“I don’t want that for Nkiru,” Madi went on. “I don’t want this place to be the only thing she knows of the world.”

“Savannah ain’t exactly the world,” Anne said carefully.

“I know, I know,” Madi said. “But... it’s something. And James and Thomas will keep her safe.”

Madi could feel Anne studying her. “This is what you want?” Anne asked.

“No,” Madi admitted. “I see so little of her as it is. I think it is the right thing to do, though.”

Madi finally looked over at Anne to see her reaction. The other woman was nodding. “We should send Mary, too.”

“We don’t have to,” Madi said quickly. Mary would one day be able to leave, to have a life apart from them, while Nkiru would be expected to stay and take Madi’s place. It was not the same.

Anne shook her head. “They’re sisters. They should stay together.”

“Is this what _you_ want?” Madi asked.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Anne echoed. She leaned over and kissed Madi in reassurance, then said, “Though we should probably ask James and Thomas first.”

Madi smiled, pressing her forehead against Anne’s. “Yes, we should.”

\---

A month later, Anne and her crew returned from Savannah with their most recent profits and the supplies garnered from them.

Madi met Anne at the edge of the camp. “They said yes,” Anne answered before Madi could even ask.

Madi had suspected that they would. Though she had imagined they might not have been pleased if two children had shown up on their doorstep unannounced.

“When do you want to tell Nkiru and Mary?” Anne asked as she and Madi made their way through the camp.

“They’re in class now,” Madi said. “And I have a council meeting. Perhaps during the midday break?”

“That works,” Anne said. “Let me get cleaned up and I’ll meet you there, yeah?”

They said their goodbyes and went off in opposite directions, Madi to the meeting hall, and Anne to their hut.

Madi realized once she was alone that she felt very anxious. She’d known this was coming, had initiated it, but up until now she’d been able to pretend it was hypothetical. Now it was real.

Was she making the right decision? What if something happened to Nkiru or Mary while they were in Savannah? What if the ship sank while they were on their way there? What if they grew to resent Madi and Anne for sending them away? What if, what if, what if -

Madi tried to calm herself as she neared the hall. Save for her mother, she had not told the other leaders about her plans to send Nkiru away, and did not wish to tell them just yet. If her mother's reaction was any indication, they would not be happy.

“James and his people are our friends and allies, but they’re not _our_ people,” her mother had said when Madi had told her. “They have no business raising her.”

But Madi had disagreed. After she, her mother, James, Thomas, and all the others were gone, it would be up to the next generation - including Nkiru - to keep the alliance going, if they wished it. Should she not have an awareness of who, or what, she might be dealing with?

Her mother had not been able to argue with that. Though it would not have mattered if she had - the decision was Madi’s - and Anne’s - not hers or the other leaders.

When she entered the hall, her mother was already there. Knowing Anne had just returned, she gave Madi a questioning look. Madi nodded in response. Her mother pursed her lips, but thankfully said nothing.

“It will be alright,” Madi said quietly as she took her seat, both to her mother and to herself.

She hoped she was right.

\---

The midday discussion with Nkiru and Mary went well enough. Mary had asked a lot of questions - Who would help them with their studies? What sort of food did they have in Savannah? When would they be leaving? Where exactly _was_ Savannah? - and seemed excited for the ‘adventure’ she’d be going on. Nkiru had listened intently without saying a word.

This was not usual. Nkiru rarely gave away what she was thinking - Madi often joked that Nkiru took after Anne in her brooding silence. Madi typically accepted this about Nkiru, as she did with Anne, but on this particular subject, Madi did feel like she needed to know.

So after afternoon classes and before supper, Madi pulled Nkiru aside. They sat across from each other at the table in their hut, at first still not saying anything. Nkiru played cat’s cradle, passing a loop of string through her fingers. It was a game she played regularly, and she was able to repeat the same movements and patterns over and over again without any trouble. She payed her mother little attention. Madi watched her.

A sign of her mixed heritage, Nkiru was lighter skinned than Madi, and her hair was more like her father’s, falling in loose curls down her back. Her face was a mystery. She did not look like Madi, nor either of her parents, nor John. Madi assumed she must look like one of John’s parents, though she had no way of knowing which one. She didn’t even know if John would know. James had reluctantly told her that the story John had told her - about not knowing his mother and the boy’s home - had been a fabrication, another lie he’d told her. Still, she found herself wondering if John would recognize her if he saw her. Would he see his mother’s eyes or his father’s nose? Would he care?

Madi cleared her throat. “How do you feel about going to Savannah? To stay with James and Thomas?”

Without looking up, Nkiru answered, "Fine."

“Do you have any questions?” Madi asked.

“No.”

Madi raised her eyebrows. “Not a single one?”

“Mary asked them,” Nkiru said.

 _This is going to be more difficult than I thought._ “Do you understand why Anne and I are sending you?”

Nkiru shifted in her chair. “You said it was so we could get a different sort of education than what we get here.”

“‘I said’,” Madi repeated. “But you don’t believe that’s the real reason?”

“I think it’s the reason you’re sending Mary.”

Madi waited for Nkiru to say more. When she didn’t, Madi prompted, “Why do you think we’re sending _you_?”

Nkiru was silent for a long time. When she finally did speak, Madi almost missed it. “I think you’re trying to fix me,” she mumbled.

Madi sucked in a breath. “Fix you?”

“Make me... better,” Nkiru said. “More like you. I can’t... talk to people. Not like you or Grandmother can. But I’ll need to do that one day. To be a leader.”

“You’re ten years old,” Madi said, her shoulders slumped. Had she really made her daughter believe she wasn’t good enough? “No one is expecting you to be a leader yet. And when you are... you should do things your own way. Don’t worry about what your grandmother or I are doing.”

Nkiru nodded.

“Sending you to Savannah is really only about making sure you have experiences that you can’t have here,” Madi insisted.

“Okay,” Nkiru said.

“Do you believe me?” Madi asked.

Nkiru nodded again.

“Will you look at me, please?”

For the first time since they 'd sat down, the string in Nkiru’s hands came to a halt and her head tilted upward. Nkiru briefly made eye contact with Madi before her head jerked back down. The string started moving again.

Madi sighed. “You know... you are my heart. Wherever you are, whether that’s here, or in Savannah, or someplace else, I’ll be with you.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Nkiru said.

Madi smiled. “Maybe not,” she agreed. She got up from the table and moved around it to place a kiss on Nkiru’s head. “I love you, though.”

“I know,” Nkiru grumbled, leaning away so that Madi couldn’t kiss her again. “Can I go now? I’m hungry.”

“Of course,” Madi said.

Nkiru quickly got up from the table, at last setting the string down. She hurried out of the hut and toward the kitchens.

“It will be alright,” Madi said again, when Nkiru was out of earshot.

It would be alright.


	6. The Stranger at My Door

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver encounters a stranger in a tavern that shares with him some shocking news.

**1732**

**Bristol, England**

Silver sat at a table in his usual tavern near the docks, staring into his still-full cup. Around him, his crew was celebrating, spending their profits from their recent large prize on women and drink. These days, Silver seemed to have little interest in either. His men paid this little attention - every once in a while, one of them would come up to speak to him or put a hand on his shoulder, inviting him into their bliss. When he would only shake his head or grunt in response, they would usually get the hint, though the more stubborn ones would need to be guided away by Hands, always a short distance away and the only other crewman not taking part in the festivities.

Earlier in the evening, Silver had overheard the owner of the tavern, an elderly gentleman, mention that he was planning on retiring soon and selling the place. He had wanted to inquire, to find out the details, but he had not wanted the crew to hear. Perhaps he could come back in the morning, when they were all passed out drunk.

There were rooms above, Silver knew, where the gentleman had lived for many years with another man, a cobbler who’d owned a shop nearby. The man has died the year before, suddenly and quietly. The tavern owner had been heartbroken. Silver was surprised he hadn’t retired sooner.

Old habits, he supposed.

He hoped the rooms came with the tavern. It had been a long time since he had had a proper home, anything other than a cabin on a pirate ship. He knew it wouldn’t be much, but it would be something.

Lost in thought, he happened to look up. A man, a stranger to him, stood in the open doorway to the tavern, his eyes scanning the room. Silver frowned. He spent enough time in the area that he knew nearly everyone who came and went. Newcomers, frightened by what the dreaded Long John Silver and his crew might do to them, typically stayed away from this part of the docks.

Silver watched as the man’s gaze came to rest on him. The man smiled suddenly and stumbled out of the doorway, making his way towards him.

As the man drew closer, Silver realized he was not, in fact, a stranger at all. Simply an older version of a man he’d known many years before.

“Fitz Kinsley,” Silver said under his breath. He’d been a member of Flint’s crew when Silver had first arrived on the Walrus and had somehow survived all the way through the events of Skeleton Island, despite his abject drunkenness. Some things never changed, Silver observed, as he noticed the cup already in Kinsley’s hand, likely from a tavern farther down the docks.

“John Silver!” Kinsley shouted as he came to a swaying stop on the other side of the table from Silver. “It’s been a long time.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Silver saw Hands step forward, about to shoo the man away. Silver raised a hand to stop him. “It’s fine,” he said. Hands paused mid-step for a moment, uncertain, before nodding and backing away.

“That it has,” Silver agreed, turning back to Kinsley. He gestured at the chair across from him, and Kinsley dropped into it, sloshing half the contents of his cup onto the table as he did so. Kinsley looked down at it in distress.

Silver sighed and shoved his own cup across the table. Kinsley looked up at him gratefully. “I knew you’d be the same John Silver I remembered. Not like in the stories...”

Silver ignored that. “What brings you to Bristol?”

Kinsley grinned. “I was born here!” he said proudly. “I’ve... I’ve had enough of the sea, I think. It’s time to come home.”

It was well past time, Silver thought. He studied Kinsley. He had not been much to look at in his younger years either, but the passage of time had done him no favors. Red, tired eyes looked out of a puffy face stretched with pale, dry skin. He could have passed for a corpse, save for his large, bloated stomach pressing against the table. He smelled of urine and sweat.

Kinsley continued, “Anyway, I was at a place not too far from here. Some of the men there... they warned me to stay away from here. Because of...,” he pointed at John. “But I knew you wouldn’t mind me saying hello.”

“You have family here?” Silver asked.

Kinsley’s grin faded. He took a long drink from Silver’s cup. “No, not that I can find. I thought my sister might...,” he trailed off. “But home is home, I suppose.”

“Hmm,” Silver said. “And where were you before? Before you came home? What happened to you after...?”

The grin was back. “After the last time we saw each other?” Kinsley finished. “Well, after the treaty was signed, there was a meeting with a handful of pirates and maroons. They figured out a new alliance with Max and Rackham in Nassau, fucking the treaty. They asked me to join. I know it was supposed to be a secret at the time, but I’m sure you know by now...”

Silver did. Despite Rackham’s efforts to keep him in the dark, he’d heard a few things here and there. He’d heard that the maroons had conducted trade out of Nassau for a short time before moving elsewhere. Silver did not know where.

“I stayed with them for a few years before I moved on,” Kinsley went on. By ‘moved on’, Silver suspected he meant that he’d vomited on Akwasi’s boots one too many times and they’d finally had enough of him. “I’ve been hopping from crew to crew since then. And now... here I am.”

“How was Madi?” Silver asked, finally asking the question that was the only reason he’d let Kinsley near him. He’d heard nothing directly from or about Madi since he’d been banished from the island. Kinsley was the first person he’d spoken to who had seen her since then. “The last time you saw her?”

“She was good,” Kinsley said, seeming sincere. “She was happy, I think. Your daughter was good, too. Smart little thing. A bit odd, but what kid isn’t?’

Silver’s eyes narrowed. “I think you’re confused.”

Kinsley blinked. “Confused? About what?”

“I don’t have a daughter,” Silver said.

“I may be a no-good drunk, but my memory is still just fine,” Kinsley said with a laugh. “Don’t think you can mess with me that easily. Nkiru, born on November the 12th, 1716, just before dawn. A Thursday. It was a big event for the maroons. I wouldn’t confuse something like that. She’ll be sixteen later this year.”

Silver suddenly remembered why Flint had tolerated Kinsley on his crew, why he’d likely been asked to join the second alliance with the maroons. The bastard had one hell of a memory. It came in handy from time to time.

His head began to spin. He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a daughter? He had a-

He was vaguely aware of Hands appearing and grabbing Kinsley roughly by the arm and pulling him up and out of the tavern, Kinsley protesting and looking helplessly back at Silver all the way, unaware of what he’d done.

So Hands had been listening. Of course.

Some time later, after Silver had started to come back to himself, Hands reappeared at his side. “You didn’t kill him, did you?” Silver asked him.

Hands snorted. “Kill him? What would I do that for? Man like that, he’ll be dead all on his own soon enough.”

That’s what I thought sixteen years ago, Silver thought.

Sixteen years...

“Are you alright?” Hands asked when Silver didn’t respond.

“We have to go,” Silver said.

Hands shook his head. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Silver looked up at him. “I have to go.”

Hands was not known for being kind or particularly polite. It was not the kind of man he was. But Silver could tell that he took care with his next words. “There’s a reason you weren’t told,” Hands said. “Perhaps... you should stay away. Respect her wishes. Madi’s wishes.”

“I have to go,” Silver said again. How could he not?

“What will we tell the crew?” Hands asked, not bothering to lower his voice. By now, the men were all too drunk to care what their captain and quartermaster were discussing. “And the ship’s not ready for that long of a voyage.”

“We can think of something,” Silver said stubbornly. “And the ship can be made ready.”

Hands sighed. “You won’t be dissuaded from this, will you?”

“No.”

“I’m going to get some sleep, then,” Hands said. “We can discuss this further in the morning.”

With that, Hands turned on his heel and walked out of the tavern, leaving Silver alone with his thoughts.

Before he knew what he was doing, he’d waved one of the servers over and asked for another drink. When they brought it, he downed it all in one go and asked for another. Then another. And another. His crew began to notice and started cheering him on. Eventually, the tavern owner, clearly worried, cut him off, ordering two of the less drunk crewmen to take Silver back to his ship. Begrudgingly, they did so.

It would be a late morning with Hands.


	7. Harder to Forgive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver returns to Maroon Island for the first time in sixteen years.

**1732**

**Maroon Island**

When Silver’s ship finally anchored off the coast of Maroon Island, he gathered a handful of his more mild-mannered crewmen, including Israel Hands and Ben Gunn, and took a single longboat to shore, not wanting to cause any more alarm than was necessary. 

Once they were on the beach, Hands asked, “Do you remember how to get to the camp?”

“Yes,” Silver said. It was like muscle memory. “But they’ve likely changed the traps. We should wait here. Someone will come out.”

“I hope you’re right,” Hands said. 

“I think he may be,” Gunn said, pointing to the treeline. Three men had stepped out onto the sand and started walking toward them. They each had a pistol tucked into their belts, though none of them made any move to draw them.

As they drew nearer, Silver realized he didn’t recognize any of them. They were all young, in their twenties. They had been children the last time Silver had been on the island. His stomach twisted at the reminder of how much time had passed. 

When the men reached them, one of them sneered, “You shouldn’t be here.”

Silver ignored this. “I would like to speak with Madi,” he said calmly. 

“Yes,” the one who had spoken before said with distaste. “We’ve been instructed that you may come alone to the camp. Your men must stay here. And your weapons.”

Silver immediately turned and handed his pistol and cutlass to Hands, who opened his mouth to protest. “Don’t,” Silver said. “I have to do this.”

Hands reluctantly took the weapons. “I won’t send any men into a forest we can’t navigate to rescue you,” he said. “If you’re not back by tomorrow morning, I’ll assume you’re dead and leave. You can make your own way back to Bristol if I’m wrong.”

“I understand,” Silver said. He had expected as much. 

With that, he nodded at the maroons, who turned and made their way back into the forest. Silver followed them, being careful to only put his leg and crutch where he was told.

After some time, the forest opened up and they stepped into the camp. Silver looked around. It looked more or less the same as it had the last time he’d been there, if not larger. But it did not feel like home, as it once had. 

As he was led through the camp, he saw people going about various parts of their day. When they saw him in turn, some glared at him, while others looked frightened, curious, or indifferent. He recognized some, while others were completely foreign to him.

The three maroons who’d led him there left him at the entrance to the meeting hall, gesturing for him to go inside. 

Silver stood there for a few moments trying to catch his breath. Back in England, he had grown unaccustomed to the humid West Indian heat, and the walk through the forest had left him sweaty and exhausted. His back, too, was killing him, though that in itself was nothing new.

Once his heart started to beat a little slower in his chest, Silver made his way into the hall.

Madi was sitting at the far end, in the seat that had once been occupied by her mother. Had her mother died? Was Madi the Maroon Queen now?

The question fell away as he took Madi in. The braids she had once worn were gone, replaced by a short hairstyle, cut close to the scalp. The look brought out the features of her face, now with more lines than Silver remembered, though she was still young. And beautiful as ever.

Silver’s gaze shifted slightly and he realized another person was in the hall, standing behind Madi.

Anne Bonny. 

Silver frowned. What the hell was she doing there? 

Though Madi’s expression was neutral, Anne was giving him the same leering look he’d received from others in the camp. She had her arms folded across her chest, and unlike Silver, her pistol and cutlass were in her belt. She looked tense and ready to use them at a moment’s notice.

“Have you forgotten that you were banished from this place?” Madi asked.

Silver’s attention snapped back to her. “I...” he started, then cleared his throat. He had not forgotten the reason he had come all this way. “Where is she?”

The impartial facade briefly fell away, and Silver got a glimpse of panic underneath. The facade was back up when Madi asked, “Where is who?”

“Nkiru,” Silver said. “My daughter.”

“ _Your_ daughter?” Silver heard Anne say under her breath.

“I want to see her.”

Madi sighed. “What makes you think you have any right to that?”

Silver’s nostrils flared. Though he had wanted to remain civil, this was not the response he was expecting. He was not used to being told ‘no’. “I-”

“Even if I permitted it,” Madi interrupted, “she is not here.”

“What do you mean?” Silver asked.

Madi looked for a moment like she might not respond. Then she turned dark eyes up to Silver. “She is in Savannah.”

Silver blinked. “What? Why...?”

“She is with James and Thomas,” Madi said, by way of explanation.

Silver just stared at her. Did she mean Flint and Thomas Hamilton? 

Madi seemed puzzled by his silence. “Do you... not know?”

“Know what?” Silver asked.

Madi studied him for a few moments before she gave up on pretense and burst out laughing. 

“ _What_?”

Madi wiped tears from her eyes. “Where you left James... it’s no longer the prison you put him in. It’s... a town, of sorts. It’s called the Isle of Hope. James and Thomas are responsible for it, along with a few others.”

The Isle of Hope. Silver had heard of that. Heard it whispered about in taverns and markets across the New and Old World alike. A place you could go if you were down on your luck, if European rule had become too much for you, for one reason or another. Though Silver had not known it was in Savannah. He had thought it was a myth. 

Yet he was not surprised that it was real, and that Flint was behind it. 

“So what you’re telling me,” Silver said slowly, “is that you did not see fit at any point over the last sixteen years to inform me that I had a daughter, but Flint not only knows, but is considered an acceptable person for her to be spending time with?”

“Yes,” Madi said simply.

Silver shook his head. “You were able to forgive him, but not me?”

Madi’s eyes narrowed. “Forgive him? For what? Not killing you when he had the chance? No, that I can understand. You were his friend. What you did I’ve found harder to forgive.”

Silver felt his face growing hot again, this time from anger. Clearly, being here wasn’t going to get him what he wanted. He turned and made to leave the hall.

“Where are you going?” Madi called after him.

“To Savannah,” Silver said over his shoulder.

Silver heard Madi laugh again. “You think Long John Silver and his blood-thirsty crew is going to show up there, and what? They’ll let you right in?” she asked. “The place is armed to the teeth, and well fortified. You won’t get anywhere near it unless they want you to. And they won’t want you to.”

Silver stopped and turned back around to face her. “You really aren’t going to let me meet her?”

Madi’s expression softened, but only slightly. She looked up at Anne. A silent conversation went on between the two of them. It ended with a nod from Anne and a hand placed softly on Madi’s shoulder. Madi brought her own hand up to place it on top of Anne’s. The gesture made him think of...

Oh.

 _Oh_. 

Silver’s mouth fell open. When Madi and Anne looked back at him and saw this, they both had the audacity to look amused.

“Anne’s ship is leaving tomorrow morning. She will drop you off in Savannah,” Madi said. “If you arrive with her, they will know I’ve vouched for you. There should be no issue.”

“What she means to say,” Anne spat, “is that if you cause any problems, Madi will be at fault for it. And you’ve caused her enough trouble, don’t you think?”

Silver swallowed back his rage. He was being given an olive branch, and an unenthusiastic one at that. He did not want to screw it up. “I understand.”

What a strange world he’d stumbled into. 


	8. Beginning to Feel the Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver arrives in Savannah.

**1732**

**Off the Coast of Georgia**

On the day Anne’s ship was due to arrive in Savannah, Silver woke early, but did not immediately get up. He laid in the hammock that had been assigned to him in the corner of the crew's sleeping quarters, his eyes closed, enjoying the swaying of the ship and the soft breathing of the crewmen asleep nearby. It reminded him of days long past, when he’d been a simple cook aboard the Walrus, when no one knew the name John Silver. He’d been so young then.

Though he had not yet reached forty, his body felt like it was well beyond that age. Years maneuvering onboard a moving ship with a crutch had done a number on his joints and his spine had become warped and painful. When he finally did rise from the hammock, he did so ungracefully, thankful that no one around him was awake to see. Up until recently, he had largely ignored these changes, pushing through the discomfort to continue to play the role that was expected of him. But as he returned to the people and places he’d once thought he’d never see again, the years and the pain began to creep up on him.

Carefully, he made his way out to the main deck. Various crewmen were moving around going about their duties. As had been the case for the last few days, no one acknowledged him. Unconcerned, Silver went over to the rail and leaned against it, letting the sea breeze wash over him and ease his aching body. 

“How’d you find out about Nkiru, anyway?” a voice behind him asked.

Silver froze for a moment, surprised at being spoken to. Then he peered over his shoulder. Anne was standing there, looking at him curiously. 

“Fitz Kinsley,” Silver answered.

It took Anne a second to place the name. “That drunk bastard? He’s still alive?”

“Apparently,” Silver said. “He’s off the account, though. Went back home to Bristol.”

Anne nodded and came up to stand beside Silver. “I hear that’s where you’ve been callin’ home, too.”

“It is.”

“And you intend to go back there?” Anne asked.

Silver knew what she was getting at. No one had said anything to him directly, but from the language used, he was aware that everyone hoped his presence among them was short-lived.

“I don’t know,” Silver admitted. “I would like to get to know my daughter.”

Anne scoffed. She took a step closer so that they were standing shoulder to shoulder. Silver felt something sharp press against his stomach. A knife. 

“I promised Madi I would see you safely to Savannah, and I hope to keep that promise,” Anne said, “but let's get somethin’ straight. You may be her father, but she’s _my_ daughter. If you hurt her, if I see so much as a single fuckin’ tear, I will gut you. You understand?”

Silver looked at Anne out of the corner of his eye, not daring to move any more than that. “I do.”

“Good,” Anne said. She kept the knife on him for a few moments longer, as if to emphasize her point, before she dropped it, slipping it back into her belt and walking away, leaving Silver on his own once more.

\---

An hour later, a flurry of activity began, indicating the ship was getting ready to drop anchor. Silver looked ahead, but he did not see the port, as he’d thought. It appeared that the ship was nearing a sound, where another ship was already anchored.

Silver found Anne on the quarterdeck, overseeing everything. He cautiously walked up to her. “Why are we stopping here? Why aren’t we going to the port?”

Anne sighed. “That’s not how this works. The Isle backs up to a river. It’s safer to meet them there.”

“Why isn’t the port safe?” Silver asked.

Anne raised an eyebrow at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, this is a pirate ship.”

Silver was aware. It had been explained to him that the Isle had a fencing operation that the maroons had started using after growing tired of Nassau. “But... Georgia is an unchartered province, a buffer between the English and the Spanish. Surely the laws are not followed that strictly.”

“They’re not,” Anne said. “But the majority of the people there are either English or Spanish. And word can travel. They already know the goods the Isle sells there aren’t gotten legally. Best not to give anyone anythin’ more to talk about.” 

Anne was right. The last two decades of ever-increasing military presence and anti-piracy laws had put an end to the Golden Age of Piracy. Those pirates that remained did so by being cautious. But Silver had assumed Savannah would still be safe.

“Whose ship is that?” Silver asked, gesturing toward the already anchored ship.

“Akwasi’s,” Anne said. 

_Fuck_. As Silver understood it, Akwasi had been one of the ringleaders of the new alliance after the signing of the treaty. If anyone were to resist Silver’s arrival, it would likely be him. 

Silver and Anne watched as crewmen prepared the longboats to be launched once the ship had anchored. Silver felt another twist in his stomach.

It was going to be a long day.

\---

**Skidaway River, Georgia**

The trip to the Isle on the longboats took longer than expected, nearly two hours. Silver was beginning to think this was a ridiculous alternative when the boats rounded the last bend in the river and a large fort came into view up ahead. As he looked up at it, all other thoughts vacated his head. 

No, this was _not_ the prison he’d left Flint in. 

Anne saw him staring and explained.

The fort was situated on a 100-foot hill above the river. It had guns distributed on three levels: the two “water batteries” on the slope held 12-guns to command the river; the principle, or lower, battery held a 10-inch cannon and assorted 32-pounders; the upper battery counted a 64-pound rifled cannon and two 64-pound howitzers. The fort’s interior contained several small howitzers to deflect any attack from the land. Miles of entrenchments ringed the fort and the villages that had grown up around it, reinforced by abatis.

Armed to the teeth and well fortified, Madi had said. That was an understatement. 

A handful of people had exited the fort and were making their way down the hill to greet the approaching boats. As they drew close enough to see their faces, Silver realized he recognized two of them, though neither of them were the familiar face he’d thought he’d see. 

Abigail Ashe, the daughter of the former governor of the Carolina colony, and Eme, who’d been a member of the resistance in Nassau.

They stood on the dock between two others, a man with short, blond hair and a girl of about thirteen or fourteen with dark hair and eyes. The girl was waving enthusiastically at them. Anne waved back. If Silver had overheard correctly, this was Anne’s daughter with Jack Rackham, Mary. 

Abigail and Eme were less lively, however. They had seen him, too. Abigail had put a hand over her mouth, and Eme’s eyes had grown wide. When the blond man saw their expressions, he followed their gaze to Silver, but did not seem to understand what was wrong. He spoke to them and Eme responded. The man frowned. 

A few moments later, the boat Silver and Anne were in reached the dock and they both stepped out. Mary, unaware of the dismay of the adults, launched herself at Anne, wrapping her arms around her waist. Anne hugged her back, holding her tight.

The blond man was glancing nervously between Anne and Silver. “I thought you lot were just early, but it appears you’re here for other reasons,” he said, his eyes coming to rest on Silver. 

“Where is Nkiru?” Anne asked. 

“She’s with James,” Mary answered, pulling away slightly and looking up at her mother. “They went to the Yamasee village to drop off supplies for the festival.”

“Uh,” Abigail started quietly. “If he’s here to see Nkiru, someone should tell her first. So she’s not so shocked.”

“That’s a good idea,” the blond man said. He turned and called down the dock, “Lewis!”

A teenage boy a year or two older than Mary who had been talking to a crewman further down the dock excused himself and hurried over to them. When he joined the group, his focus landed on Silver, in particular on his leg and crutch. His eyebrows shot up. “Oh, shit.”

“Yes,” the blond man agreed, not bothering to correct the boy's language. “Could you track down Nkiru and let her know? _Gently_. Have her meet us back at home.”

Lewis’ manner was solemn as he nodded and left them, heading back up the hill. 

“Well, I suppose we can go, as well,” the blond man said, “seeing as there’s no business to conduct here.”

The group silently followed behind Lewis up the hill. When they neared the entrance to the fort, they stopped. The blond man looked at Eme. “Will you tell the others where we’ve gone?” he asked. 

“Of course,” Eme said. She made to enter the fort, but stopped when an angry voice rang out.

“What the fuck is he doing here?” someone shouted. 

In the entrance to the fort stood two more faces familiar to Silver. Akwasi, a man he’d hoped to avoid, and Theo, who’d been a member of the Walrus crew. 

_Fuck_ , he thought again. 

Akwasi charged forward, Theo at his heels, as if they meant to attack Silver. Eme stepped in between them. “This is not necessary,” she said sternly. 

Akwasi and Theo came to a halt, both breathing heavy. Akwasi looked to the blond man. “We have an agreement. He, nor his crew, are to be welcome here.” 

“His crew isn’t here,” the blond man said calmly. “It’s just him. Now-”

“Madi has approved his being here,” Anne interrupted. “He’s here for Nkiru. That’s all.”

Neither Akwasi nor Theo seemed to have noticed Anne before. When they saw her, they both visibly relaxed. “Madi knows he’s here?” Theo asked.

“Yes,” Anne confirmed again. 

Theo inclined his head in acceptance, but Akwasi’s mouth formed into a thin line. “Very well,” he said tightly. He shot Silver a warning glare as he and Theo moved past the group down to the dock.

Silver let out of breath he hadn’t known he’d been holding. 

“Our house is a short distance from here,” the blond man said, and Silver realized he was addressing him. “Are you alright to walk?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” Silver lied. After the walk up the hill, his leg and back were killing him. But he did not want to appear weak.

The blond man didn’t give the impression he believed Silver, but he didn’t argue, either. He said goodbye to Eme as she headed into the fort, and he, along with Anne, Abigail, and Mary walked along the edge of the fort, presumably toward one of the villages Anne had mentioned. Silver followed behind them. 

\---

**Isle of Hope, South of Savannah**

The house the blond man had mentioned was about a ten minute walk north of the fort, situated at the end of a long row of other houses of various sizes and shapes. It was large and rectangular and older than the other houses, with a porch at the front, a small garden off to one side and a cellar on the other. The door to the house was on the right side of the porch, and the group stepped through it, entering into a spacious main room with a kitchen and fireplace on one end, a long dining table in the middle, and a reading nook at the other end with bookshelves almost completely filled. Two well-used sofas and two armchairs were nearby. Beyond the reading nook was a long hallway with several doors on each side.

“I’ll make some tea,” the blond man said, stepping into the kitchen area.

Anne and Abigail took seats at the table while Mary pulled teacups down from a shelf and arranged them on the table. When Mary saw Silver still standing awkwardly in the doorway, she patted one of the chairs. “You can sit here,” she said, before taking a seat of her own.

Grateful for the invitation, Silver did his best not to collapse into it. 

A few minutes later, the blond man appeared at the table and began pouring tea into each of their cups. “Nkiru should be here with James shortly,” he said. 

Suddenly, Silver realized. “You’re Thomas Hamilton.”

Thomas looked amused. “Just figuring that out, are you?”

Silver felt his face grow hot. “I-”

Thomas chuckled. “It’s alright. I’m sure you have other things on your mind. And I suppose I could have introduced myself.”

Mary gave him a tiny wave. “I’m Mary,” she said, confirming Silver’s assumption. 

“I believe you already know Abigail,” Thomas said, setting down the teapot and taking a seat across from Silver. 

“A bit,” Abigail said. They had never actually spoken, but Silver remembered her from her time on the Walrus. She had been a teenager then, Nkiru’s age. It was bizarre seeing her now, fully grown. How had she ended up here? 

Voices outside kept the conversation from going any further. “Is that them?” Thomas asked. 

Mary got up from the table and looked out the window. “Yes,” she said. “But Lewis isn’t with them. Nila is, though.”

“Do you think Lewis missed them?” Abigail asked. 

“Guess we’re about to find out,” Thomas said. 

A second later, the door opened and Flint stepped inside. He paused mid-step when he saw the assembled group, seeming to prove Abigail’s suspicion. When he noticed Silver, his mouth fell open. Their eyes locked.

In all the madness, Silver had failed to consider what it might be like to see Flint again, after what he’d done to him. Silver took him in. His hair was longer than it had ever been during the time that Silver had known him, falling down to his shoulders. There was a grey streak along one side, as well as a patch of grey in his beard. He had less freckles and more wrinkles than Silver remembered, but despite all of this, Flint somehow still looked younger. Silver thought it was his eyes, which held more joy in them than he’d thought possible. Though Silver thought he saw worry brewing there, as Flint, in turn, took Silver in.

From behind, someone knocked into Flint, pushing him a step forward. “What’s wrong?” a voice asked.

Silver shifted his gaze and his eyes fell on the girl peering over Flint’s shoulder. She had brown skin and freckles and dark, curly hair that was tied into a tail at the base of her head. She wore a loose linen shirt, breeches, and boots. She was looking at Anne and had not seen Silver yet. 

Nkiru. 

Silver was vaguely aware of a third person standing behind his daughter, another girl, about the same age as Nkiru, oddly dressed in a deerskin blouse and skirt, her hair pulled into a topknot on top of her head, presumably Nila. She saw Silver before Nkiru did, and a look of panic crossed her face. 

Slowly, Silver stood up, his heart pounding in his chest. As he did so, Nkiru finally noticed him. She did not make eye contact, but her eyes brushed over his face, then moved down to his leg and crutch. Her expression didn’t change, but a strange, strangled noise escaped her throat. 

Flint looked back at Nkiru, and she looked up at him. They communicated something silently to each other before Nkiru turned, stepped around Nila, and bolted from the doorway, heading back the way they’d come.

Flint looked to Nila. “Go with her?” he asked. 

Nila nodded and hurried from the doorway as well. 

Silence.

Flint broke it by stepping more fully into the house and closing the door behind him. “Well,” he said. He did not know what to say after that. Instead, he took a seat at the table beside Thomas and poured himself a cup of tea. He seemed to be avoiding looking at Silver again. 

“Lewis was supposed to tell you,” Thomas said to Flint. “It wasn’t supposed to be a surprise.”

As if on cue, the door burst open again and Lewis tumbled in, panting and out of breath. When he saw Flint sitting at the table, he groaned. “Oh, fuck.”

“Yes,” Thomas agreed, taking a sip of tea. 

Lewis dropped into the empty chair next to Silver. “I’m sorry. I _did_ try to find you,” he said earnestly.

“It’s alright,” Flint said. “We took a shortcut, not the main route. We didn’t know anyone would be looking for us.”

Lewis looked relieved. He scanned the room. “Where is Nikki? Is _she_ alright?”

Nikki? 

Flint’s gaze fell on the table in front of Silver. “She’s with Nila. She’ll be fine. She just needs some time to process.”

“Speaking of time,” Thomas said. “Word is going to get around that he’s here. I suspect there are a few people who might not be pleased by that.” 

He was no doubt thinking about Akwasi and Theo. 

Flint sighed. “If anyone asks, just... tell them he’s not staying long. We can address it properly once we know what Nikki wants.”

“Then the next question is... where does he stay while he’s here?” Thomas asked.

Silver realized they were talking around him, as if he wasn’t there. Still standing, he quietly sat back down.

“He can have my room,” Lewis said helpfully. “I can sleep on the sofa.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Thomas said. “But I think it would be best if he didn’t stay here.”

“Rorie Nowell’s place is still empty,” Abigail said. “I don’t think anyone’s been in there since he... died, but it should do well enough. I can walk him over.” 

“That sounds like a plan, then,” Thomas said. “Unless anyone has anything else we ought to discuss?”

When no one could think of anything, they all stood up.

“How long are you staying for?” Flint asked Anne.

“Just for a bit. I want to talk to Nkiru when she gets back,” Anne said. She jabbed her thumb in Silver’s direction. “Then I’m passing him off to you.”

Flint smiled at her. “Fair enough,” he said. But he still didn’t look at Silver.

Silver jumped when someone tapped him on the shoulder. 

“Sorry!” Abigail said quickly. “I just... should get back to work. Are you ready to go?”

Silver glanced around the room one more time. No one was paying them any attention. “Yes,” Silver said reluctantly. 

He followed Abigail out of the house.

\---

Rorie Nowell’s house was significantly smaller than Flint and Thomas’, only a small, single room. There was a fireplace, a bench, a small table, a chest, and a straw mattress on the floor in the corner. Everything was neat and clean, but the air was stale. No one had been there in quite a while. 

Silver opened the windows, then lowered himself onto the mattress. It wasn’t exactly comfortable, but after the events of the day thus far, it was strangely comforting. He laid down on his aching back and stared up at the ceiling. 

Had he made a mistake coming there? Anyone within walking distance would likely have said ‘yes’. But if he had found out about Nkiru and decided to stay away, would that not also have been a wrong decision, in it’s own way? Maybe there was no right answer. 

Somehow, Silver drifted off to sleep. Some time later, he was startled awake by a knock at the door. He sat up and looked out the west-facing window. The sun was on the horizon. He’d slept for most of the afternoon. There were only a few more hours of daylight left. 

The knock at the door came again.

“I’m coming,” Silver grumbled.

He made his way to standing as quickly as he could and hobbled over to the door. “What?” he asked impatiently as he opened it, then wished he hadn’t.

Nkiru stood there, nervously biting her lip. She seemed nonplussed by his outburst. 

“Uh, sorry,” Silver said. “I was asleep. I-”

“It’s fine,” Nkiru said, quickly dismissing it. She slipped past him into the house and took a seat on one edge of the bench. She leaned forward, resting her elbows on her thighs, her hands clasped together. She stared down at her boots. “I’m sorry I ran off earlier. I... I’m not good with surprises, things not planned. I needed to put some thought and effort into how to handle this. To handle _you_. So it’s not so draining.” 

With nowhere else to sit, Silver sat on the opposite end of the bench. He could feel his heart thudding away in his chest again. He realized he had absolutely no idea how to talk to a teenager. “That’s perfectly understandable,” he tried. “I’m sorry, uh, Lewis didn’t find you before you made it back home.”

“It’s fine,” Nkiru said again. She briefly looked over at Silver. “Do you recognize me?”

Silver blinked. “What?”

“Well,” Nkiru started. “I don’t look like my mother, or my mother’s mother. Or my mother’s father, so I’m told. And it doesn’t appear that I look like you, either. I thought I might look like one of your parents?”

Silver’s stomach dropped. “Oh,” he said. “I... I don’t know. I never met my birth parents.”

“Your birth parents,” Nkiru repeated. “But you had parents?”

How much should he tell her? _Could_ he tell her? He did not want to lie. Not to her. “For a time, yes.”

“What happened to them?” Nkiru asked.

“They... died,” Silver said.

Nkiru paused for a moment before she asked, “How old were you?”

“Thirteen.”

“You were on your own after that?” Nkiru asked.

“Yes.”

“That must have been difficult,” Nkiru said.

“It... was.”

“But you’re not on your own now?” Nkiru asked. “I mean - I know your crew didn’t come with you here. But you’re not typically on your own?”

It occurred to Silver then that Nkiru, like everyone else, had heard the tales of Long John Silver. On top of whatever she’d been told by Madi and Flint, and whoever else. It occurred to him that it was odd that she’d come to see him alone. That she wasn’t angry or scared. Simply curious. 

“No, I’m not,” Silver answered. Though he had not truly felt a part of something since...

Nkiru interrupted his thoughts. “When do you plan to meet back up with them? Your crew?”

A popular question. “I really don’t know. I do want to get to know you. If that’s alright,” Silver said softly. 

Nkiru nodded her head. “I can accept that.”

“Good-”

“But I do have something I want to say,” Nkiru said. She bit her lip again. “I don’t know everything that happened before I was born. I imagine there are a number of things that have been left out of the stories I’ve been told, for one reason or another. From what I do know... you were in such a position that you were able to do what you did to my mother and our people and to James without much trouble. I suppose, in a way, you are still in that position. Which is why it’s worrying for some for you to be here. I need you to understand that if their worries prove to have any validity, if you do any harm to this place, my mother, to James, or to anyone else...” she turned and finally looked up at Silver then. She held his gaze. “You will have to account for me.”

It wasn’t a threat, but a fact. Cause and effect. Yet, the irony of the statement was not lost on Silver.

Silver swallowed. “I understand.” 

Nkiru stood up and made to leave. “I’ll let you get back to sleep, then.”

“When can I see you again?” Silver asked hesitantly.

Nkiru stopped just inside the doorway. She did not look back. “We’ll see,” she said.

With that, she was gone. Through the window, Silver saw her head back in the direction of Flint and Thomas’.

Silver didn’t think he’d be sleeping any time soon. 


	9. Just Kids

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nkiru and James react to Silver's arrival.

**1732**

**Isle of Hope, South of Savannah**

James was sitting on the steps leading up to the porch, waiting for Nkiru to return from talking to John. “How did it go?” he asked when she did. 

Nkiru sat down beside him, her expression contemplative. “I don’t know,” she admitted. An honest answer. She glanced over at James. “Will it cause too much trouble if he stays?”

James shook his head. “Let me worry about that,” he said. Then, “Is that what you want? For him to stay?”

Nkiru was quiet for a long time, staring down at her boots and rocking lightly back and forth. Eventually, she asked, “Do you know how I found out he was my father?”

“I don't believe I do,” James said.

“When I was about five or six... the other kids in the camp...,” Nkiru started. She bit her lip. “They didn’t have the full story, but they heard bits and pieces from their parents and passed their versions of the story around. He was the bad sort of pirate, a bogeyman, a way to scare each other. One day... one of the kids came up to me and told me this bogeyman was my father. Their parents had said it, so it must have been true.

I went and confronted my mothers. They had told me that my father was a man named John, that he was a pirate. Not that he was Long John Silver. They wanted to know who told me that. I refused to tell them. Never have, never will. I don’t think they meant any harm. They were just confused. 

My mothers reluctantly told me that what I’d heard was the truth. And suddenly... I thought I understood why I had so much trouble trying to be a kid. Smiling, talking, playing. I just didn’t get it. Not like everybody else did. I thought... 'This must be the reason I’m different. My father is a monster.'

When I got older, and learned more about him from my mothers and you, I realized that didn’t make any sense. Whatever makes me _me_ , it’s not him. Bogeymen aren’t real. He’s done awful things, but he’s still just a man. Meeting him proved that. He’s not scary, or inhuman. He’s just...” 

Nkiru trailed off. James waited for her to continue. 

“You said once that you thought something horrible had happened to him when he was young,” she went on. “Something that he refused to deal with. You wanted to help him try and work through it, but...”

 _But I wasn’t given the chance_ , James thought. He’d thought they’d had time. 

“Do you think he’s ever come to terms with it?” Nkiru asked.

James hesitated. “No, I don’t.” 

“I’m not saying you have to try and help him now,” Nkiru said. “That wouldn’t be right. But maybe just being here could help. I know everyone is going to be wary of him, but it’s got to be better than what he’s been doing.”

“Maybe,” James said carefully. “But the reason he came here is for you. He’s not thinking about anything else. I don’t want him to become your burden. He is your father, but he’s not your responsibility.” 

Nkiru nodded. “I know. And I know you thought you could help him back then, but I’m not sure you could have. You could be his friend, you could support him, but facing whatever happened to him had to be his choice. That hasn’t changed. So... he can get to know me, spend time with me, if that’s what he wants. But I don’t think he’s going to like me very much if he keeps trying to be the same person who betrayed so many people he claimed to care about. People _I_ care about.”

James didn’t know how to tell her she was probably right. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’m not going to get hurt. He _is_ my father, but he’s not my family,” Nkiru said. She looked at James. “ _You’re_ my family. You, and my mothers, and Mary, and Lewis, and everyone else. There is a part of me that wants to get to know him, too, if he’ll let me. But whatever happens... I have all of you.” 

Despite his reservations, James couldn’t help but smile at that. 

They fell into a comfortable silence, staring out at the fading light of the humid Georgia evening. After a while, James got up to go to bed. “Don’t stay out here too late, yeah?” 

“I won’t,” Nkiru said. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

\---

Thomas was sitting up in bed reading a book by candlelight when James crawled in next to him, resting on his stomach.

“How was your day?” Thomas asked, not looking away from his book. 

“Completely ordinary,” James answered. “How was yours?”

“Well, a strange man showed up at the dock and disrupted my entire day,” Thomas said casually.

“Your _entire_ day?”

“Well, half of it,” Thomas corrected. 

“And how did that all turn out?” James asked. 

Thomas sat his book down and nudged James with his thigh. “You tell me. What did Nkiru have to say?”

“She wants John to stay,” James said. “Though she also wants him to be less of an arsehole.” 

Thomas snorted. “Did she say that?” 

James rolled onto his back. “No, but that’s about what it amounted to. She thinks this place will help him.”

“You disagree?” 

“I worry she’s too optimistic,” James said. “I worry he may be just as likely to decide to bring down everything that’s been built here. I _hope_ she’s right. But if she’s wrong... we’ll find a way to deal with that.” 

“Mmm,” Thomas said. After a beat, “Can I ask... why did you have so much trouble looking at him? Are _you_ alright with him staying?”

James looked up at Thomas. “I am. He was important to me once, and I used to be so angry about what he did. You remember, I’m sure. I don’t know that I’ve exactly made peace with it, but I’ve moved on from it. 

As to why I couldn’t look at him... I suppose it’s for the same reason Nikki fled the minute she saw him. She never expected to meet him, and I never expected to see him again. It will take some adjustment.” 

“I’m surprised Nkiru was ready to speak with him so quickly,” Thomas admitted.

“As am I,” James said. “But she’s not ten years old anymore. She handles things a lot better than she used to.”

“She’s still just a kid, though,” Thomas said.

“Yes,” James agreed with a yawn. “They all are. If John is going to be here for a while, we should talk to Mary and Lewis, see how they feel, answer any questions. Before they start hearing anything from anyone else.”

Thomas nodded. “First thing in the morning, then.”

James’ eyes were starting to shut. “Sounds like a plan.”

Thomas blew out the candle, engulfing the room in darkness. He laid down next to James. “All those years ago in London... did you ever think we’d be here? Living together like this? Having _kids_ to talk to?”

“No, but I’m not complaining,” James murmured. 

“If only Miranda were here,” Thomas whispered. “ _She’d_ know what to do with John Silver.”

James chuckled. He felt for Thomas’ hand and laced Thomas’ fingers through his. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” 


	10. If There Was No You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Silver accompanies Nkiru while she runs errands for a day and gets a tour of the Isle.

**1732**

**Isle of Hope, South of Savannah**

Silver was wide awake and staring blankly at the wall when a knock came at the door the next morning just after sunrise. 

This time, he answered it more calmly.

But it was not Nkiru on the other side. It was Eme. She had a jug of water in one hand and a large basket in the other. Part of the basket was filled with personal items - a washcloth, a sponge, a comb. The other part was filled with food - toasted bread, cheese, and venison. From the smell of it, it was still warm. 

Silver quickly moved aside and let her into the house. She set the jug and the basket down on the table. “I wasn’t sure if anyone told you where to go to get things,” Eme explained.

They hadn’t, though he suspected that was the last thing on anyone’s mind. “Thank you,” Silver said gratefully. Not having been in his right mind himself, he’d left his ship without thinking to pack a bag. And he hadn’t eaten since supper on Anne’s ship two days before. 

“Not a problem,” Eme said. She pointed into the basket. “There’s a map of the Isle in there. You should be able to use it to find anything else you need.” 

Silver reached inside the basket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He opened it and studied the hand drawn map. The fort was at the center with six villages surrounding it. A number of buildings were specifically labeled, presumably deemed important - a meetinghouse, a church, a school, a tavern, a market square, and a handful of shops. The Isle was much larger than Silver had imagined it to be, even with what he’d seen so far. 

“Did you draw this?” Silver asked.

“No, Mary did.”

So she’d been to Flint and Thomas’ already. Likely how she knew where to find him.

Eme turned to leave.

“Uh,” Silver started. Eme turned back around to face him. “Why did you... why did you stop Akwasi and Theo yesterday? When they were going to attack me.”

Eme seemed puzzled by the question. “What good would it have done?”

“Well, it would have made them feel better,” Silver said.

“Yes, it probably would have,” Eme agreed. “But then Nkiru would have met you all bloody and bruised. And that would not have been good for her.”

That had not occurred to Silver. He realized it probably should have. “It seems like everyone here cares for her a great deal,” he said.

Sensing that Silver wanted to talk, Eme took a seat on the bench in the same spot Nkiru had the day before. Silver sat down, too.

“Yes, she and Mary have spent time here on and off for the last six years or so,” Eme said. “They’re just as much a part of what’s being built here as anyone else.” 

“She - they’re not here all the time?” Silver asked. 

Eme shook her head. “No. Nkiru, of course, will one day take her mother’s place as the leader of her people. It would not make sense, or be appropriate, for her to be here all the time,” she said. “And Mary wants to be with her sister.”

Sister. They shared no blood, but that was what they were - sisters. A strange thought.

Silver cleared his throat. “When you say that Madi is the leader of her people, do you mean that she is the Queen now? That her mother has... died?”

“She had not died,” Eme said, “but Madi is the Queen. Her mother has been very ill for the last few years, so she chose to step down. She’s been here since then.”

“She’s here? In the Isle?” Silver asked, surprised. 

Eme nodded. “Yes. There’s better access to doctors, medicines. She refused at first, but Madi insisted. She lives with me.”

Silver wasn’t sure what to make of this. How did Eme come to be someone who the maroons would trust with their former Queen?

He gestured at the map. “How many people live here, exactly?”

“Around six thousand,” Eme said. “Not including the Yamasee and the other tribes nearby.”

Silver gaped. Eme smiled.

“How... how did so many people come to be here?” Silver asked. “How did _you_ get here?”

Eme looked amused. “When Madi and her people started their initial alliance, the one with Max in Nassau, I was still working in the tavern there. Akwasi approached me and offered me a place on their island. I accepted. When they started the alliance with James and the others, they wanted representatives from the island involved in the operation here. I offered. 

As for everyone else... when the former prisoners started going to the port to trade instead of Oglethorpe and his men, people started talking, merchants and sailors alike. It all happened slowly at first. A few would show up looking for a place to stay. Mostly people from the colonies up north who had come to the New World hoping for a better life and did not get it. Eventually, those who escaped slavery in the plantations starting coming here, as well. They would contact friends and family. A few more would show up. Then word began to spread beyond that. This was about five years in. It’s been growing ever since.”

Silver chuckled. “I’d heard stories of this place, though I thought they were just that - stories. I didn’t think it was real.” 

“That is good,” Eme said. “Others think that, too. It keeps this place safe.” 

_Yes, but for how long?_ Silver thought before he could stop himself. He took a deep breath. “I suppose the people here have heard stories of me, as well.”

Eme shifted on the bench. “Yes.”

“Should I be worried about an angry mob forming outside with torches and pitchforks?” Silver tried to joke.

“No,” Eme said, dismissive. “James will take care of that.”

“Why would he do that?” Silver wondered aloud. _Surely Flint doesn't trust me._

“I don’t think he trusts you,” Eme said, as if she’d heard his thoughts. “But I also don’t think he believes there’s much you can do on your own. And he knows this isn’t about him. It’s about Nkiru.”

Eme got up to leave.

“Well, I appreciate having your trust, at least,” Silver muttered.

Eme rounded on him quickly. “Do not mistake my kindness for trust,” she said sharply. “I know what you did, what you have done, the same as everyone else here. We all react to that differently. Just because I’m being friendly doesn’t mean I don’t hate what you did, or believe you’re not still capable of those things. Don’t be a fool.” 

Eme left before Silver could respond. 

\---

After Eme left, Silver thought he would be too troubled to eat, but he was starving and his stomach got the best of him. He wolfed down the bread and venison, and decided to save the cheese for later.

He had just finished washing himself off and redressing - he would need to find out about getting new clothes - when he heard a horse outside. Curious, he opened a window. 

Nkiru had pulled a horse and cart up in front of the house. When she saw Silver standing at the window, she walked up to it. “I have some errands to run today,” she said. “I was wondering if you wanted to accompany me?”

“Yes, of course,” Silver said. He turned and looked around the small house, as if he thought there was something he needed to do first. When he realized there wasn’t, he made his way out the door and joined Nkiru on the cart. 

A small, black cat sat on the seat between them, sleeping. “This is Nora,” Nkiru said, as if she were introducing Silver to a person. Silver awkwardly nodded. 

Nkiru grabbed the reins. “Walk,” she called to the horse. It started moving almost immediately. 

In silence, they made their way toward the fort, back the way Silver had come with Thomas and the others. Though he was glad not to be walking this time, the road was rough and every time the cart went over a rock or an uneven surface, a spike of pain went up Silver’s spine. 

When they made it to the entrance, Nkiru stopped the cart and hopped down. She pulled a bulky, brown bag from the back of the cart and walked into the fort. The guards stationed around the entrance eyed Silver suspiciously as he followed her, but they made no move to stop him. 

The inside of the fort was as impressive as the outside. It consisted of a vast green courtyard lined with several buildings, all well-built. Silver looked up to the outer walls, where he caught a glimpse of the cannons positioned there, as Anne had described. More guards were walking around the perimeter, keeping a watch over the Isle from above. 

Nkiru walked toward one of the buildings and went inside, Silver behind her. 

They had stepped into what appeared to be a gunsmiths shop with blacksmithing tools, metal files, and vises scattered about. There were people working, mainly repairing existing firearms, as far as Silver could tell. Though one person did appear to be making something from scratch. 

The workers looked up when Nkiru and Silver entered. They greeted Nkiru by name, and she greeted them back in turn as she made her way to the back of the shop. Silver was met with the mixed assortment of stares he’d started to grow accustomed to. He ignored them.

In the back of the shop was a large contraption that Silver had not seen before. “What is that?”

“It’s a steam engine,” Nkiru said. “Or, it’s a steam engine powering a drill. For the guns.”

Silver frowned. He’d heard of steam engines. They’d been invented some-thirty years ago in England and were primarily used in mining. He had not known that the technology had been brought to the New World, or that it was used in gunsmithing. 

“Did... someone here build this?” Silver asked.

“Yes,” Nkiru said. She grabbed a ladder that had been resting in a corner of the shop and brought it up beside the engine. Then she sat her bag down and rummaged around in it. She pulled out what Silver assumed were tools, before taking them and climbing up the ladder, inspecting a part of the engine slightly above their heads. “A few people worked on it.”

“She’s being modest,” a voice said. 

Silver turned. Julius, the leader of the slave rebellion on New Providence, was leaning against the wall nearby. _Jesus, is everyone here?_ Silver thought. 

Julius pointed at one of the men working in the shop, the one Silver had thought was making a new gun. “Charlie worked as an apprentice to Thomas Newcomen, who made a version of this machine over in England. When Newcomen died, Charlie stole a copy of the blueprints. They were patented, and he meant to sell them, but he brought them here instead. They’ve only previously been used in mines, but he thought they could be used for other things,” he said. He looked up at Nkiru. “This was his idea, but she’s the one that saw it built.” 

Nkiru didn’t look away from whatever she was doing. “That’s not true, and I’m not being modest,” she said to Julius. “I studied the blueprints with Charlie and Emma. I wasn’t here when it was constructed.”

“Yes, but who got it to actually work when they got back?” Julius asked. “Who is doing maintenance on it right now?”

“That’s not what he asked,” Nkiru pointed out. 

Julius shook his head, half laughing. “Modest,” he mouthed at Silver. It was odd to see him so relaxed. He looked Silver up and down before looking him in the eye again. “I heard you were here.”

“I can’t say the same,” Silver said, then winced at how it sounded. 

“I can’t imagine anyone has said much of anything to you,” Julius replied with a smirk. 

Silver looked away, uncomfortable. “Are you here for the same reason as Eme?”

“More or less,” Julius said. “Though I work here now, not in trade.”

“I can see why,” Silver said, looking up at the machine.

Julius hummed in agreement. “It’s amazing what can be accomplished when people are given freedom and opportunity.”

“Making more guns?” Silver asked.

“We are getting away with this for now,” Julius said slowly, “but a day will come when England, or Spain, or someone else, will want this land. They will be willing to fight for it. We should be prepared for that. Unfortunately, yes, that will require more guns.”

Silver started to reply, but Julius cut him off. “And this isn’t the only machine like this here. Only the first.” 

Nkiru came down from the ladder then, seemingly ending the conversation. “Good to go?” Julius asked her. 

“Good to go,” Nkiru confirmed. She said goodbye to the other workers and left the shop, stepping back out into the bright Georgia sun. Across the yard, Thomas was standing outside one of the other buildings talking to someone. They both waved at Nkiru and she waved back before exiting out of the fort. 

The cat, Nora, was still fast asleep when they returned to the horse and cart. Nkiru scratched it’s head and it purred and shifted position, but did not fully wake up. 

Silver climbed up beside them and prepared for another bumpy ride. 

\---

Their next stop was in the village south of the fort at a building that didn’t look so different than the one they’d just left. Upon entering, however, Silver realized it was quite dissimilar.

It was a textile shop, though Silver had never seen such a thing before. There were several people working at traditional spinning wheels, though like in the previous shop, the back of the shop housed a large machine, though instead of a drill, it was operating a more complex-looking spinning wheel that was working multiple spools at the same time. A single person, an older balding man, was operating it. When he saw Nkiru, he stopped the machine.

“Good morning!” the man said, smiling at Nkiru. He had a loud, booming voice. He paid no attention to Silver. 

“Good morning, Ed,” Nkiru said. Silver heard what he thought was a hint of coldness in her tone.

Though the setting was different, a similar scene played out. Nkiru got out a ladder and her tools and started working on the machine. At some point, Nora came padding in through the open door and sat at the base of the ladder, looking up at Nkiru expectantly. 

“Why do you bring that cat everywhere with you?” Ed asking jokingly. “Do you think she’s going to protect you?”

Nkiru looked down, frowning for a moment, unaware that the cat had entered the shop. Her expression softened when she realized, but she still responded coldly, “I don’t bring her everywhere.”

Ed looked like he wanted to keep talking, but Silver jumped in to stop him. “How are these machines different from the ones, er, Newcome made?” he asked Nkiru.

“Newcome _n_ ,” Nkiru corrected. Then, “His engines require _huge_ amounts of coal to function. These need a lot less...” She went into a more detailed explanation that Silver largely didn’t understand, but it was the first time he saw her show any sort of enthusiasm, so he listened to her intently, pretending like he did. 

Apparently Ed did not share the same view. “No one likes a know-it-all,” he said. He seemed to be teasing, but Nkiru abruptly stopped talking anyway.

Silver glared at him. He opened his mouth to say something, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Nkiru shaking her head at him. Silver closed his mouth. 

Thankfully, Nkiru finished her work shortly after. As she put her tools away, she pulled a piece of fish out of a pouch and gave it to Nora, who ate it happily.

“You don’t have to treat her so well, you know,” Ed said when he saw this. “No matter what you do, she’ll die long before you do.”

Nkiru hoisted her bag onto her shoulder. “Yes, but with any luck, you first.”

With that, she turned and quickly left the shop, Silver and Nora behind her. 

Outside, Nkiru threw the bag into the cart with more force than was necessary. “I don’t know why he always has to do that,” she said, more to herself than to Silver.

“Are you alright?” Silver asked.

Nkiru only nodded.

As the cart began to move, Silver studied her. For the most part, he had not seen her show much emotion, but she seemed frustrated by what had occurred in the shop and it had started to crack whatever barrier she’d put up. “Why didn’t you want me to say anything to him?”

“There are already enough people here who are going to dislike you by default,” Nkiru said. “Best not to add any more people to that list.”

“That’s not really for you to worry about,” Silver said carefully.

Nkiru sighed. “Yes, I know that’s James’ job. But that doesn’t mean I can’t help.”

Something registered for Silver. “Is that why you brought me with you today? To help Flint?”

“It’s _James_ ,” Nkiru corrected. “No one calls him that. And yes, I am helping him. People are less likely to be scared of you if they can see you. They already know you’re here, so it does no good to hide you away.” 

Silver wasn’t sure he agreed with her logic, but he didn’t want to argue about it. Instead, he asked, “So this isn’t about us getting to know each other?”

“Why can’t it be about both?” Nkiru asked. 

“Fair enough,” Silver conceded. 

\---

They arrived next at a barn beside a large corn field flanked by villages to the north and south. The village to the north was similar to the ones Silver had already seen - wattle and daub homes and buildings with thatched roofs arranged around a village square. The village to the south was much the same, though it looked to be much older and the people he saw outside looked and dressed differently. 

“Are those the... Yamasee?” Silver asked.

“Yes,” Nkiru said. “This is a shared field. We’ll be getting ready to harvest soon.”

Silver raised an eyebrow, trying to puzzle out why they were there. “Is one of your machines going to be used for that?”

“We’re going to _attempt_ to useone for that,” Nkiru said.

“Nikki!” someone called. 

Nila, the girl who’d been with Nkiru and Flint the day before, bounded up to the cart, grinning. When she noticed Silver, the grin faded. She turned back to Nkiru and said something to her in a language Silver didn’t understand. Nkiru shrugged and replied back in the same language. Nila looked wary, but she didn’t say anything else. She followed Nkiru toward the barn, Nora at their heels. 

At the entrance, Nkiru looked back at Silver, who was still sitting on the cart. “Are you coming?” she asked in English.

“You go ahead,” Silver said. The road to the field had been particularly hard on his back. He needed a minute to rest.

Nkiru watched him for a moment, then pointed to a Yamasee woman talking to a group of people near the edge of the field. “That’s Nila’s mother. She’s a medicine woman.”

“Alright,” Silver said, pretending not to know why she was telling him that. _Was it that obvious?_

Nkiru didn’t press the issue. She turned and went into the barn with Nila and Nora. 

Silver leaned back, closing his eyes and taking deep breaths, trying to will the pain away. 

“Are you him?” 

“Just two fucking minutes,” Silver said under his breath. He opened his eyes. An white woman was standing a few feet away from the cart staring Silver down with a sour look on her face.

“Am I who?” Silver asked innocently. 

“Long John Silver,” the woman answered. 

Silver groaned. He really did hate that name. “That’s me.”

The woman’s expression didn’t change. “James says it’s alright that you’re here, and everyone here respects him enough to trust that. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t all keeping an eye on you.” 

“Er-”

“And I don’t know what you’re doing with that sweet girl, but you best not hurt her.”

The woman stormed off. It occurred to Silver then that though people knew who he was in general, they likely had no idea what he was doing there or who he was to Nkiru. He wondered what they all thought of a feared pirate captain being ferried around the Isle by a teenage girl. 

Silver realized he didn’t really care. He leaned back again and closed his eyes.

\---

Silver woke with a start. 

The cart was no longer parked by the field, but was sitting in front of an old brick building. Silver looked up at it. It looked familiar. “Is this the plantation house?” 

“It was,” Nkiru said. 

_How did I sleep the whole way here?_ Silver wondered. He looked over at Nkiru. She was watching him again. She looked worried. “What is it now?” he asked, trying to deflect. 

Nkiru had the question answered for her when about two dozen school-aged children burst through the door, shouting and running off in different directions, presumably heading home. Flint appeared in the doorway, waving them off. 

_What the fuck?_ “Is Flint... a teacher?”

Nkiru shook her had. “No. _James_ is the librarian.”

“ _What_?”

“He likes books,” Nkiru said, by way of explanation. 

_Well, that’s true._

Nkiru got down from the cart and pulled a notebook out of the back. “I’m going to go and talk to Emma for a minute,” she said. Emma, the woman who helped build the engines? Was _she_ a teacher? 

“You can stay here,” Nkiru added.

“No, I’ll come,” Silver said. His back was feeling a bit better. He quickly got up. In doing so, he almost hit Nora with his crutch. The cat hissed at him in warning. “Sorry,” he mumbled. 

The inside of the school had many of the remnants that had once marked it as the home of a wealthy plantation owner. A curving staircase led up to the next floor, and a crystal chandelier hung just above the entrance. The place looked elegant in a way that the other buildings Silver had been in did not. 

Nkiru made for the staircase. “You can stay here,” she said again. 

This time, Silver decided to take her up on the offer. He wasn’t feeling _that_ much better. 

Nora apparently agreed with him. Instead of going after Nkiru, she went through a door on Silver’s left. A moment later, a soft voice said, “Hey, you.” 

Flint. 

Cautiously, Silver, too, went through the door. 

The library was large and seemed to take up the entire left half of the floor. On row after row of shelves sat neatly lined up books with their spines facing outward, organized by subjects that didn’t appear to be relegated to those only of interest to children - theology, law, astronomy, philosophy. There were cushions on the floor for the children to sit on, and leather armchairs for the adults. Tables were available for quiet study. 

With most of the children gone for the day, Flint was the only one there. He was sitting at a workstation in the back, bent over a small printing press. Paper and ink and other odds and ends stretched out around him. Nora was perched at the edge of all this, taking a bath.

Flint briefly looked up when Silver entered, but didn’t say anything and didn’t stop what he was doing.

“Did Nkiru make any of these?” Silver asked hesitantly, gesturing at the workstation. 

“She did,” Flint said, tapping the printing press.

“Yes, I thought those were usually a lot... bigger,” Silver said awkwardly. 

“Mmm.”

“I’m surprised to see you in this building,” Silver said, trying to make conversation, before realizing it was one of the worst possible things he could have said.

Flint wasn’t phased. “It’s not what it was.”

Silver looked out the window to where the walls that had once rimmed the Oglethorpe plantation, keeping its occupants trapped there, had been taken down. “No, it isn’t.”

“Mmm.”

“It’s good to see you,” Silver tried again. He winced. _No, not that, either._

“Is it?” 

“You... look good.” _What_?

“Do I?”

Silver swallowed and slowly moved closer to Flint. “I know you’ve been talking to the people here, trying to make my presence here easier for everyone. I want you to know that-”

Flint sighed. “We don’t have to talk.”

“What?” Silver asked. He stopped. 

“We don’t have to talk,” Flint said again. He finished the page he was working on and looked at Silver. His expression was not unkind. “Nikki wants you here, and as long as that is true, I will continue to support it. But you and I - we don’t have to talk.”

Silver’s stomach dropped. “Oh. Right,” he said. He knew he couldn’t blame Flint for not wanting to speak to him, but he had hoped-

“Mister James!”

A small boy poked his head into the library.

“What is it, Quentin?” Flint asked. 

Quentin smiled. He was missing a front tooth. “Your husband is here!”

Sure enough, Thomas appeared in the doorway behind the boy, who disappeared back into the hall once his announcement had been made. Flint’s face lit up. “What are you doing here?” he asked. 

“I was in the area,” Thomas said. He walked over to Flint, leaned over the workstation and gave him a kiss ‘hello’. 

Silver blushed. Feeling like he was intruding, he slipped out of the library as quietly as he could. He left the school and went back to the cart to wait for Nkiru. 

He pulled the map Eme had given him out of his pocket. The school was the westmost point on the map and directly west of the fort. Silver suspected the Isle had started there, with an idea, in Oglethorpe’s former office, expanding out over time to what it had eventually become, and was still becoming. 

Silver understood then that this was what Flint had wanted, what he had believed in, all those years ago. After the war and the terror and the hopelessness, he’d just wanted a place to call home, a place where he could be himself. 

Somehow, he’d gotten it, anyway. _Perhaps people aren’t all so poorly made._

Yet, as Silver looked east to the fort, he worried what that might lead to.

If there was no Silver, then or now, would the fort be necessary?

He wondered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said at the beginning, I may or may not be coming back to finish this.
> 
> That being said, I hope you were still able to enjoy it! <3


End file.
